"I wanted (to speak to Sam Allardyce) but he was always at training camps, travelling left and right. At the same time, I had the guarantee of a three-year contract.

"But he came to West Ham with his players, who have followed him for several seasons. The manager was not against my arrival but he was not for it either!

"I was an extra player. It is tough to feel useless. In the end, you have enough of fighting for no reason."

Diarra, 31, played only two hours in five months. "Yes, essentially because I was misled. I could not accept this situation any longer and I went to see the directors. They understood and I thanked them."

Former Liverpool midfielder Diarra, who cost £2m from Marseille, suffered a serious thigh strain in training in September and has only started one Premier League match.

He made four appearances since returning to fitness in the New Year - the last against Arsenal on January 23.

Allardyce said last month: "It hasn't quite worked out and he feels a little disgruntled in terms of playing more.

"Because of Alou's long-standing injury he has found it hard to adjust to what is needed in the Premier League."